2014-15-aia-football-sollenberger-azpreps-report-highres

By Don Ketchum, aia365.comNo. 1 SCOTTSDALE SAGUARO. How doyou figure out whether the Sabercats arecapable of winning another championship?Start with 45, yes, 45, returninglettermen. All-purpose player ChristianKirk has at least 37 Division I scholarshipoffers. Saguaro might not be as talentedas Division I brothers Phoenix MountainPointe and Chandler Hamilton or DivisionII neighbor Scottsdale Chaparral, but it ispretty darn close.No. 2 QUEEN CREEK. The Bulldogs wonit all in 2012 and were runners-up toSaguaro a year ago. With nearly as manyreturnees (35) as Saguaro, there’s no reasonto discount their chances of reachingthe big game again. Having one of thebest running backs in the state – WestonBarlow – definitely is a plus.Division III Preseason RankingsNo. 3 GILBERT WILLIAMS FIELD. Steve Campbelldoesn’t have a 68-13 record in seven seasons as theBlack Hawks’ head coach by chance. He knows how toput together a solid team. He has another with a defensethat swarms to the ball. The inexperienced offensewill need to grow up in a hurry. The team has 35players back from its team that was the No. 1 seed enteringlast year’s tournament.No. 4 GOODYEAR DESERT EDGE. Gone are star receiverElijah Marks, linebacker Ismael Murphy-Richardson and quarterback Anthony Hernandez, butcoach Rich Wellbrock has a good stash of firepower returningwith promising sophomores Tehran Thomas atquarterback and Roshaun Johnson at running back. If afew young receivers step up, all should be OK.No. 5 GILBERT HIGLEY. Coach Eddy Zubey says histeam is going to throw deep and score fast. The defensefaces more of a challenge – preventing opponentsfrom doing the same. Zubey said the Knights“have the potential to be a very solid team and makesome noise come playoff time.’’No. 6 ORO VALLEY CANYON DEL ORO. The Doradoshave been one of the most consistent programs insouthern Arizona for quite some time, and this year’sversion should be able to make its mark. The team hasSaguaro celebrates their victory in the 2013 Division III state finals (photoby Mark Jones/maxpreps.com).page 28a combined 15 or so starters returning, but needs to developdepth quickly.No. 7 GLENDALE CACTUS. With two wins, long-timeCobras coach Larry Fetkenhier will join the 300-victoryclub for his career, but it is playoff wins and maybe evena state-title triumph that he covets more. Cactus hasgood experience on offense, particularly up front, butdefense is another story.No. 8 PEORIA. Former Peoria quarterback Will Babbenters his third season leading the Panthers’ program.The team always has been strong offensively, and thisyear appears to be no different. Babb needs a few leaders,and one of them should be quarterback AnthonyGuevara, who had six starts last season.No. 9 TUCSON SABINO. The steady Jay Campos returnsfor another year guiding the Sabino ship. TheSabercats have good strength and speed, but havequestion marks in the offensive line. If Campos can getimprovement in that area, the team should be able tomake a playoff run.NO. 10 SURPRISE SHADOW RIDGE. The team had astrong playoff run in 2013, finishing 9-3. But coach RicoTipton departed and Ray Karvis leads the team now.The Stallions look strong in the skill positions and havedecent depth. Developing an offensive line will beamong the team’s most important story lines.